Taking Care of Emily
by 2903
Summary: Emily gets sick in the office and Hotch steps in to take care of her.


Emily stood in the break room, heating up her hot tea when the urge hit her.

Grabbing a tissue quickly she covered her nose and mouth as she sneezed.

"Oh God" Emily murmured to herself, "Kill me now. I'd gladly welcome death."

"Why what's wrong?"

Emily jumped and spilled hot tea on her hand, cursing.

"Jesus Christ Hotch. You scared me." She said breathlessly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. What's wrong though, Emily?" He responded.

"I just.. I haven't been feeling good since yesterday. I can't breathe and my stomach is tied up in knots." She confessed, staring at her feet.

"Maybe you should go home to rest. It would be good for you." He told her firmly.

"No, no. I have things to do here. I'll be fine. Don't worry about it." She said with a small smile, and he nodded.

They walked out of the break room together and he walked her to her desk before returning to his office. As he worked, he snuck glances at her through his open blinds. She was writing slowly, her head resting in her left palm. He watched as she took a sip of her hot tea and paused warily, before her eyes widened and she jumped out of her chair, running towards the bathroom.

Hotch was quick to follow her, waiting outside the women's bathroom for a few minutes to see if she'd come out. Time went by and he started to worry. He pushed open the door, and the sight that greeted him wasn't pretty. She was propped up against the stall with her head over the toilet, dry heaving.

"Emily?" He asked, and got no response. After a minute or so, she slumped back against the wall and met his eyes. Her eyes were wet and red, and he immediately felt for her.

"Oh, Em honey." He walked over to her and kneeled down, rubbing her back. "Do you think you're done?" He asked and she nodded. He helped her off the ground and steadied her.

"Hotch I feel sick." She whined, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I know honey. Let's get you laid down." He led her up to his office, ignoring the concerned faces of his team for now and focusing on her.

He helped her lay on the couch, and began to fuss over her, feeling her forehead and making her drink water. Emily resisted him taking care of her, insisting she was fine and didn't need help.

"You're either going to let me help you, or I'll get Garcia up here and she can. Who do you want?" He asked and her eyes widened. She knew she was better off with Hotch than Garcia. Hotch might annoy her with his overprotective ness, but Garcia would suffocate her and coddle her. So she let him fuss over her, and oddly, she found she kinda liked it. It made her feel safe and comfortable even through her illness. Her eyes started to drift shut and she snapped them open, looking up at him.

"Go to sleep Emily. It's okay." He stroked her hair and her eyes drifted shut without her permission.

Hotch figured he would let her sleep for a little bit before he woke her up and took her home. He knew she needed rest. He went back to his desk and got to work.

About an hour later, he decided it was time to head home. He stood from his desk and stretched before walking over to the couch and kneeling next to Emily's sleeping form. He noticed the thin sheen of sweat that covered her skin and his worry increased. He realized he probably shouldn't leave her alone tonight. He brushed his hand over her shoulder gently to try and wake her.

"Emily. Wake up Em. I'm gonna take you home."

Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up and him disoriented. Looking around, she identified her surroundings and calmed. Hotch saw the slideshow of emotions pass through her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Like I got hit by a truck." Emily answered honestly and he smiled.

"Come on. I'm taking you home."

He helped her stand and guided her out of his office and down the stairs, waiting while she gathered her things from her desk.

The ride home was peaceful, and he wasn't very surprised when she dozed off next to him. He decided that he didn't want to leave her alone right now in this condition, and that he would take her home with him to watch after her.

He pulled into his driveway and turned the car off before turning to her and debating on waking her or not. He walked over to her side of the car and opened her door.

"Emily honey. Wake up for a second. Let's go inside." He said. Her eyes barely opened and she groaned. He unbuckled her seatbelt and guided her out of the car and into his house. She had her arms wrapped around her neck and he supported well over half of her body weight.

Hotch tucked Emily into the guest bed and left the room, heading downstairs to eat before he headed to bed as well.


End file.
